United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office National Security and International Affairs Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1996-07-26 monographic deposited born digital 26 p. GA 1.13:NSIAD-96-126 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-126 P0b002ee180383f36 f:ns96126 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-126 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-126 NSIAD-96-126 Product performance evaluation Military aircraft Military airlift operations Cost plus award fee contracts Contract specifications Overpayments Testing Air Force procurement Contractor payments Defense capabilities C-17 Aircraft DOD Mobility Requirements Study Letter Report NSIAD Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Air Force's reliability, maintainability, and availability (RM&A) evaluation of the C-17 aircraft, focusing on: (1) RM&A planning, preparation, execution, and results; and (2) whether the evaluation demonstrated the aircraft's wartime surge rate.<p/>GAO found that: (1) the Air Force reported that the C-17 aircraft met or exceeded 10 of the 11 contract requirements during its RM&A evaluation, but the evaluation was less demanding than originally planned; (2) although the revised RM&A evaluation plan increased total flying hours, the number of sorties, and average wartime sortie duration, it decreased the ratio of sorties to flying hours, which weakened the application of RM&A measurement criteria and lessened the stress on the aircraft; (3) the RM&A evaluation also had fewer airdrops and austere airfield landings than originally planned, and the aircraft flew cargo loads that averaged less than one-half the weight projected in contract specifications; (4) 3 years of operational testing show that the aircraft generally met RM&A requirements with the exception of those related to built-in-test parameters; (5) the RM&A evaluation was not a statistically valid test for determining C-17 fleet wartime utilization rates because the test's duration was too short; and (6) the incentive fee should have been reduced, since the aircraft could not perform the formation personnel airdrop mission under operational conditions, or the aeromedical evacuation mission. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-126/html/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-126.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-126/pdf/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-126.pdf GAO/NSIAD-96-126 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-126 Letter Report GAO/NSIAD-96-126; C-17 Aircraft: RM&A Evaluation Less Demanding Than Initially Planned; Product performance evaluation Military aircraft Military airlift operations Cost plus award fee contracts Contract specifications Overpayments Testing Air Force procurement Contractor payments Defense capabilities C-17 Aircraft DOD Mobility Requirements Study